Nothing tastes better than your celebratory meal after completing five days on the windy, tiring, and soul-filling W-Trek.

The W-trek is a great introductory trail for any first-time backpacker. The scenery is breath-taking, and the trail is clearly marked. It was my introduction to multi-day backpacking, and to say that I was a backpacking rookie beforehand was an understatement.

Valparaiso is a city of opposites. It’s charming and gritty, vibrant and laid-back, trendy and vintage. Spend a few days in the city, and you’ll fall in love and dream of returning.

Are you making the leap between day hikes to multi-day, backpacking hikes? It can be quite intimidating because there’s more gear involved, more training, and more overall planning.